Customer case studies that examine the deployment of technology tend to be dull.

Most follow a formula:

Here’s the problem

It was a horrible

Fortunately, ACME Technology came to the rescue

Snapshot of the product(s) from ACME

It was easy to install

Here’s how we did it

Quantify the benefits

We’re thrilled

Not exactly scintillating storytelling because the formula jackhammers the intellectual side of the brain.

That’s why this NetApp customer case study caught my attention.

The video appeals to the right side of the brain while still maintaining an undercurrent of intelligence.

Reverse-engineering the story, we can identify the components that collectively make this a good watch:

The story is about Suncorp’s transformation, not computer storage. Look at these words that appear at the start, “The IT department that became a launchpad.” There’s an emotional dimension to this kickoff as opposed to highlighting “IT driving change management.”

The spotlight stays on Suncorp. Netapp gets mentioned for five seconds in the early going – We look to Netapp to help materially change how we do work – and the sign-off. That’s it.

Fresh camera angles advance the story at an energetic pace.

The visual storytelling stands out, using the technique of overlaying simple illustrations on top of the real.

On the audio side, simply bringing two voices from Suncorp into the picture appeals to the viewer’s senses.

The close talks about creating an “enabling environment for people to get inspired to do things they hadn’t thought they could do.” You don’t associate IT professionals with flying kites.

Last, they recognize less is more with the video coming in at 101 seconds.

Even in a B2B play, the buyers and decision-makers are still people with emotions.

About

As CEO of a PR consultancy, I’ve always enjoyed dissecting the “why”
behind effective communications. Since penning a column for Technology
Marketing magazine back in 2003 called “Heard a Good Story Lately?”
I’ve been intrigued specifically with the variables that cause different
types of communications to stand out. This intrigue led me to develop a
training curriculum designed to help companies embrace the art of storytelling
in their communications and to write this blog. Read more about the blog
here.